Kars
is the capital of the province of the same name. Kars province has the
highest concentration of Azeri population in Turkey. Azeris of Kars province
speak Azeri but use Turkish as the literary language (there is also a large
Kurdish community). Azeris are the descendants of immigrants arrived from
Azerbaijan during the period 1878 to 1920. Today, in all there are about
640.000 Azeri speakers in Turkey. A consulate
of Azerbaijan operates in Kars.

Kars
is situated at the junction of a plain and a mountain, at an altitude of
1750m in a sea of dry grass swept by the wind. The climate is rather severe,
the winters are long and very cold, with temperatures going down to -30C,
Summer is short and cool. The Turks named the place Kar-su "snow-water",
due to the ponds formed by melting snow, which eventually was shortened
to "Kars" - "Snow". Recently Kars has attracted a more attention
than usual because Turkey's most famous novelist, Orhan Pamuk, used it
as the setting for his novel "Snow".

The
Kars river, a tributrary of the Araz, devides the city into an old upper
section and a newer part to the south. The city has a population of about
80.000 and although there are manufactures of textiles and carpets the
base for the local economy is agriculture, particularly stock breeding.
The local honey and cheese are of the highest quality. The area is heavily
militarized and checkpoints and ID controls are routine.

After years of Turkish presence the architecture
of the city still retains some European traits, revealing its Russian legacy.
The lower city unfolds at the foot of an impressive 12th century Seljuk
fortress. The city has its own university (Kafkas Universitesi).

History:
The region is one of the oldest human settled areas in Anatolia, with abundant
pre-historical remains. Kars was the capital of Bagatrid Kingdom, an Armenian
state of the 9th and 10th centuries. The Bagatrid were invaded first Byzantio
and then by the Turks in the early 11th century. By the late 11th century
Armenian dynasties re-emerged and ruled until the arrival of the Mongols.
Ani was destroyed by Tamerlane in 1386 and was captured and rebuilt by
the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century. It was reduced by the Persians to
ruins in 1604 and again rebuilt. In 1731 it withstood a Persian siege and
in 1808 resisted the Russian army. During the rest of the 19th century
Kars was in the epicentre of the Russian-Turkish conflicts. In 1828-30,
1855, and 1877 the city returned to European rule under the Russian Empire,
and it was ceded to Russia together with the surrounding territories by
the congress of Berlin in 1878.A short lived Armenian republic was destroyed
in 1920 in battles near Kars. By a peace treaty between the nationalist
government of Kemal Ataturk and the USSR, Kars and Ardahan were given to
Turkey. During their 41-year-long occupation, the Russians built many buildings
and wide avenues, creating a grid layout unique in Turkey.

Main
Sights: Church of the Holy Apostles and Kars museum, castle, caravansaray,
Pasha palace, stone bridge, Evliya mosque, the baths, tomb of Celal Baba,
Russian downtown. The old city, which was the Bagatrid capital is now a
slum, clinging to the hillside across the Kars river.

The houses of Russian and Armenian merchants
can still be seen, their fine construction and exterior decoration incongruous
amongst the drab concrete buildings that now dominate the city. Many of
these houses were pulled down in the 1960s - the government either not
interested in the history of the town, or only too happy for it to be eradicated.

Kars is located at about 50km from the
Armenian borders, and there is a rail and road border crossing between
Kars and Armenia's second city Gyumri. However as a protest against Armenian
military actions in the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, the Ankara government has ordered its closure. Nevertheless the
local authorities have been pressing hard for its re-opening, so the situation
my change soon. At present the only direct transportation between Turkey
and Armenia are the Istanbul-Yerevan flights and a bus from Istanbul that
reaches Yerevan by way of Trabzon and Georgia.

Outside Kars:

Ani:
located 42 km east of Kars, near the Armenian border and the village of
Ocakli, this ghost town, is the reason why many travellers visit Kars province.
The ancient Armenian town was built on the barren plains above the Arpaçay
valley, that today separates Turkey from Armenia. In its hey-day Ani had
a population of over 100.000. Once an important station in the ancient
silk road, serving as a trading post and caravanseray for merchants' camel
caravans travelling between east and west. It was held by the Armenian
Gamsaragan dynasty before it was acquired by Bagatrid kingdom, an
Armenian state that established its dominance over most Armenian princes
in the 9th century. It suceeded to Kars in 961 as capital of the Bagatrid
kingdom. However the Bagatrid Kingdom was brought to an end by the eastward
drive of the Byzantine empire, shortly before the Turkish invasion, in
the early 11th century. Ani fell to the Mongols in the 13th century, who
ransacked it and later Tamerlane rampaged through and mercilessly destroyed
what was left. When the trade routes moved further south, the once bustling
metropolis lost its revenue from trade and soon the entire province declined.
It was again destroyed by earthquakes in the 14th century. The town is
surrounded by imposing double ramparts with round towers. Inside the walls
what remains today are several Armenian churches with amazing frescos,
a Cathedral, a Georgian church, the Horomos Monastery, a ruined Seljuk
palace, a couple of mosques and caravanserays.

Ani
is still under Turkish military control. Though the site is advertised
as a tourist attraction, visitors have to obtain permits from the tourism
office, police and museum in nearby Kars. On arrival visitors are briefed
by an armed soldier on where they may go. Troops patrol the site and use
the ruins of a mosque as a look-out post. A ban on cameras was lifted recently,
but photographers are not allowed to point their cameras in the direction
of the border, on the other side you can see the European forces, Armenian
soldiers maning their positions.

Horomots: located 10 km northeast
of Ani, near the dam on the Arpa river, is a large monastery complex, almost
as impressive as Ani but virtually unknown to tourists. It contains three
well preserved churches of the 11th century (a few more are across the
border). The monastery served as burial ground for the Kings of Ani and
functioned as an important religious centre until the 18th century.

Sarikamis: Situated in a forest
of giant pines, 55 km southwest of Kars, at 2250m, this ski centre has
excellent courses and ideal snow conditions, the area is also noted for
its hunting possibilities. Visitors can stay either in the town or at the
60-bed ski lodge, where a ski-lift and ski instructors are available. The
snow conditions are at their best from November till April. Note that the
area also has a strong military presence (the Turkish 3rd army) as well
as endless rows of old Russian barracks.

Ardahan: the Kur river separates
the new and old towns, the latter with a 16th century castle built by Sultan
Selim the Grim, is one of the most stately citadels in Turkey, defended
by 14 towers and with a span of 745 metres.

Mount
Ararat (Agri / Aragats): located south east of Kars, it is composed
of two peaks, Great Ararat the highest (5,165m tall) is the traditional
site of the resting place of Noah's ark after the Flood (Genesis 8:4).
Ararat is also remembered in Zoroastrianism,
in the Aresta as (Aria Varda) meaning the birthplace of the Strongs. Southwest
of the main mountain, the Little Ararat reaches up to 3896 meters. The
Serdarbulak lava plateau (2600 m) stretches out between the two pinnacles.
In the summer, the weather in the area and on Mount Ararat itself is sunny,
warm and dry. However, in the winter and spring cold and harsh conditions
prevail, and mountain climbers occasionally face blizzards and turbulent
weather. July, August and September are the months when most world mountain
climbers come to the area and when the climb up Ararat is most enjoyable.
Despite the usual sunny and clear weather at that time of year, high altitude
mountain weather prevails above 3000 meters. The southern face of the mountain
offers the easiest and safest ascent to the summit with the best routes
and communication, transportation and safety considerations. The
Ararat is also visible from the Armenian side of the border.

Most of Great Ararat formed about 2 million
years ago atop a block of uplifted rock during the Holocene Period; Little
Ararat formed shortly thereafter. No eruptions have been recorded for either
volcano. Nine glacial tongues escape downslope of Great Ararat from the
permanent ice field, meet the snow line, melt, and produce streams. The
rather high snow line, 4700 m, for a mountain this far north results from
the dry surrounding region. Because of the lack of water, the area is relatively
barren and uninhabited. From medieval accounts, the Ararat region was a
beautiful, forest clad mountain with many human settlements and abundant
wildlife; however, deforestation, overgrazing, and a destructive earthquake
in 1840 have severely impacted the area. Because of fears of further earthquake
activity and the very dry conditions, many inhabitants left the region
and settled elsewhere.

Cildir: this town is near the lake
of the same name. Lake Cildir, at an altitude of 1965 metres is located
in a nature preserve, with the Akcakale artificial island and varied fauna
and flora, an excellent area for outdoor activities. A temple with Urartrian
inscriptions remains. Seytan (Satan) Castle is near Cildir.

Kagizman: place of famous Neolithic
stone engravings, located on a breathtaking canyon